Faces, myths and images of the earth in the ancient world (Colosseum, Rome)
curated by Maurizio Bettini and Giuseppe Pucci, with Roberta Valtorta (photography section)
Within its majestic arches the Colosseum hosts a major exhibition devoted to the cults of the Earth, from prehistory to the imperial age.
The exhibition is in line with the themes addressed by Expo 2015, reflecting on the power of Mother Earth, between the human and the divine, told through 75 works including ancient finds (statues, vases, reliefs) and contemporary photographs that evoke, together with its long history, natural landscapes that speak of the antiquity, sacredness and magic of the Earth. The photographs come from the Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea and are curated by Roberta Valtorta. In all, 14 large photographs, in black and white and in colour, by leading contemporary Italian photographers: Marina Ballo Charmet, Gabriele Basilico, Nunzio Battaglia, Antonio Biasiucci, Luca Campigotto, Carlo Garzia, Mimmo Jodice, Gianni Leone, Raffaela Mariniello, Domingo Milella, Claudio Sabatino, Roberto Salbitani, Sandro Scalia, George Tatge.
These are images of natural landscapes entirely devoid of human presence which, placed alongside the archaeological finds, tell of the antiquity and sacredness of the earth and the magical
importance of the materials it is made of, from the wild grass of the meadows to the rocks, from the stones to the volcano’s lava, from the water of the sea and rivers to the vast sky, from the green of the hills to the wood of trees and bushes. The breadth of these natural settings (a kind of landscape to which contemporary urban people are no longer accustomed) evokes the grandeur and mystery of the physical space of the world that ancient people found themselves inhabiting and questioning, searching for their gods and building their myths. The photographs show signs of human presence only to an almost imperceptible degree, conveying the appearance of the earth when it was virtually uninhabited, or still awaiting the arrival of humankind, which through its continuous action would profoundly transform it.
The exhibition is promoted by the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Colosseo, the Museo Nazionale Romano and the Archaeological Area of Rome, in collaboration with Electa, and is curated by Maurizio Bettini and Giuseppe Pucci.
[source mufoco.org]
